


The Price of Honesty

by mrv3000



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-26
Updated: 2008-06-26
Packaged: 2017-10-19 18:55:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/204153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrv3000/pseuds/mrv3000
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just one of the many things Rose has to deal with when it comes to the Doctor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Price of Honesty

**Author's Note:**

> This was written before Journey's End, but imagines Ten and Rose reunited and traveling together again. Thanks to beck_liz for the beta!

Rose's hand draped over the chair in the console room, her attention shifting back and forth between the latest edition of Nebulous -- a sort of magazine from the 87th Century she was addicted to -- and the Doctor, who really shouldn't have been at that angle under the console if he hadn't wanted her to look. She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of outright gawking though. Not after her accidental slip of how much she _really_ loved his hair. Ever since he'd found that out, he'd ruffle it at her with the biggest self-satisfied grin.

While the ruffling was actually _brilliant_ , the self-satisfied grin was a backwards step when it came to keeping his ego in check. And considering he'd turned out to be _way_ better at certain activities than he was at actual dancing, she had to hang on to whatever she could.

This meant not staring at his bum. At all. But if her eyes just _happened_ to casually scan in that direction without stopping, it wouldn't be anything he could gloat about, right? Well, maybe a little stopping. Just a bit. He wasn't paying attention after all.

Had he had his trousers altered?

"Rose?"

At the sound, Rose choked on nothing and gasped, the magazine falling to the floor. Dammit!

He stared at her. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, wiped her eyes that had started watering and breathed. "Yeah. You surprised me, is all."

"Me saying your name surprised you?" Confusion on his face and then something that looked like sympathy. "Oh. Right."

It was Rose's turn to be confused as the Doctor pulled himself up, watching her with caring eyes.

"C'mere." The Doctor pulled her off the chair and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

She melted into his embrace, letting out a contented sigh. His hair smelled really good today.

"Sometimes I can't believe you're here either," he said softly against her ear. "But you are. Both of us are here."

What?

OH.

Whoops. Well, an ill-gotten sympathy hug wasn't the worst thing in the world, considering she didn't mean to ill-get it. Or whatever the word was for that.

He pulled back and put a hand to her cheek, his thumb brushing against her face.

That was...ooh. Very very ooh. Ooh, ooh, ooh.

"I want to do something," he said, expression intense.

Rose opened her mouth to respond with 'so do I,' but he continued on.

"But I'm not sure how, really."

Rose closed her mouth. All right, so whatever it was it didn't involve sprinting off to the bedroom, unless he'd suddenly gotten a case of amnesia.

"You see...it's something I _really_ want to do and have wanted to do ever since you've gotten back, but it's important. And I don't want to do it wrong, because that'd be embarrassing since it's the kind of thing that you tell people about. For example, would people be impressed if we said it was while at lunch with Albert Einstein? Or wouldn't that be romantic enough? Ooh, or maybe it should be on the moon of Yopp while watching the amber falls? Or flowers? Something with flowers? Or... Or maybe it should just be right now. Just you and me, realizing that we really are together again."

Rose's eyes widened.

"Rose Tyler? Will you m--"

"NO!"

The Doctor blanched.

Rose reacted to the startled expression by quickly pulling him into a tight hug. "I mean...not now! You can't do it now!" She moved back, put her hands on his face and kissed him. He wasn't kissing back. "You just can't!"

His mouth hung open slightly, and his eyes could have passed for a kicked puppy's.

"Really! Any time but now! God, this is so stupid."

Kicked puppy with an extra side of kicked puppy.

"NOT THAT! _That_ isn't stupid! I'm stupid. The situation is stupid. Which is no fault of your own! But I'm the one..." Rose sighed. "I've really botched this, haven't I?"

The Doctor swallowed and then plastered on a small smile. "Of course not. No big deal. Forget I said anything."

"Oh, no. You're not gonna pull any of that 'I'm always all right' stuff with me, especially not when I've been an idiot."

"Am I allowed to be confused?"

Rose sighed again. "Honesty is the cornerstone of any relationship. Mum always said that. Of course Mum never told any of her boyfriends where she was half the time."

"Surprising she never had any long-term relationships," the Doctor said, seeming a bit more himself again.

"Right. Here goes. So you know when I decided to have a choking fit?"

"Four minutes ago? I have a vague recollection."

"When you startled me, it wasn't exactly because I'm not used to us being together again."

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, now I'm feeling a bit sheepish. And that...that was totally an ill-gotten hug, I'll have you know."

"Yes! I was thinking the same thing!"

"So what _were_ you thinking about?"

Rose coughed. "Hmm?"

"You know. Four minutes thirty seconds ago? The thing you were thinking about that nearly made you fall over when I interrupted the thought?"

"Er..."

"Some wise...no, strike that. Some well-traveled woman once said something about honesty and relationships, and odds are there was an addendum about hair products."

Rose wrinkled her nose at him for the swipe at her Mum, and then, after chewing at her lip for bit, she took a breath. "Your backside. There! I've said it! I was looking at your bum, all right?"

First there was a quirk of his lips. Then a smile. That got bigger. And bigger.

"Arg," Rose grumbled, flopping her forehead against his chest so she wouldn't have to watch his face.

She swore she could _hear_ him grinning. From ear to ear. Arg. Again.

"So, Doctor," the Doctor finally said, laughter in his voice, "how did you ever propose? Well, it was quite remarkable, really. Rose was having a good long stare at my bum and I decided pop the question! After all, she's positively transfixed by it, and so _is_ there a better time than that?"

Rose groaned.

"Ooh, I _really_ want to be able to tell this story! To as many people as possible, come to think of it! Are you sure you won't say--"

"NO!"

His body shook with laughter.

So not fair.

The laughter died down and then stopped, his arms tightening around her again. "But there would be a positive response at some other time...right?"

Rose nodded her head against him. As the Doctor softly pushed her away from him, she shut her eyes.

"I'm not looking at you until you stop grinning."

"I think it's safe."

Rose slowly opened her eyes. He was trying so very hard not to grin, but pretty much failing. It would take every ounce of energy she possessed, but she would not smile back at him. Even though she couldn't help but be painfully aware of every single twitch of his mouth.

"Right, so back to work for me then."

"Yeah. Good. I was in the middle of reading an article."

"There you go. Everything back to normal."

"Perfect."

The Doctor walked to the side of the console and Rose retrieved her magazine. A sudden clang made Rose look up at him.

"Oh, whoops! Dropped the screwdriver!" The Doctor bent over.

And wiggled.

Rose groaned and flopped face-down on the chair.


End file.
